Pierre lorillard



(No Model.)

- ;P. LORILLARD REGBPIAGLB FOB. TOBACCO.

Patented Apr. 24, 1888.

2 M I I I I v N PETERS Phnlo-Lillvographcr. Wcnhingion. DJ;

UNITED 4 STATES PATENT @EFTGE.

PIERRE LORILLARD, JR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

RECEPTACLE FOR TOBACCO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 381,801, dated April 24, 1888.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PIERRE LORILLARD, J r. a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, countyof New York, and Stateo'f New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Receptacles for Tobacco, which are fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same. 1 This inventionrelates to improvements in packages or receptacles which are designed for use in putting up fine-cut and other tobacco I for the retail trade.

It is customary at the present time to put up this class of-tobacco in comparatively small receptacles,which usually consist of ordinary wooden pails closed by wooden covers, which are nailed or otherwise secured in position for shipment, and serve as loose-fitting covers to exclude dustwhile the tobacco is on sale. This manner of putting up this kind of tobacco has become very popular and has been extensively adopted, not only because the packages of this form are convenient for handling during ship- 2 ment and while the tobacco is on sale, but

also because these receptacles are readily salable after the contents are exhausted, and thus partly reimburse the dealer for the cost of the package. This manner of putting up this kind of tobacco has, however, been open to certain serious objections, the principal objection being that the loose wooden cover does-not act to exclude the air from the package, thus leaving the entire upper surface of the tobacco exposed to the air, which causes the moisture originally contained in the to bacco to evaporate and renders the tobacco dry and brittle and impairs its flavor. In some cases it has been proposed to prevent this evaporation by wrapping the tobacco in waxed paper to exclude the air, and in other cases means have been provided for maintaining the tobacco in a moist condition by adding moisture as fast as the original moisture was evaporated. All of these devices have, however, proved unsatisfactory, partly because they are not wholly effective, partly because of the additional expense involved, and partly because of collateral disadvantages which were entailed. i

It is the object of the present invention to provide apackage or receptacle for this class of tobacco which,while having all the advantages of the ordinary packages nowin common use in the way of con venience and substantially all the advantages of such packages in the way. of economy,will also be capable of preserving the moisture originally contained in the tobacco while it is on sale.

In order to convey a full understanding of the invention, it will now be described in detail, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a wooden package made in the form of a pail, such as is 6 ordinarily used for putt-ing up fine-cut and similar tobacco. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, the wooden cover being removed. Fig.

3 is an enlarged sectional detail.

Referring to said figures,-it is to be understood that A represents a receptacle in the form of a pail such as is ordinarily used for putting up this class of tobacco. The pail herein illustrated is an ordinary wooden pail made up'of staves which are secured together by hoops; but other equivalent materialssuch as wood fiber or papier-mach-may of course be employed.

It is to be remarked that the form of package may of course be varied from that shown without departing essentially from the invention.

13 represents the ordinary wooden cover with which the package is provided to protect the contents during shipment and while on sale, this cover being secured to the top of the pack ages by nails or other suitable means untilthe contents are to be put on sale, and afterward being used as a loose cover which is removed from time to time to gain access to the contents. The disadvantages of this loose cover as a means of closing the package while the tobacco is on sale have already been stated. To avoid these disadvantages I provide the upper end of the package with an inner clos- 3 ing head or diaphragm, a, which is made of thin sheet metal or similar thin material, preferably tin-plate, and fits inside the end of the package beneath the cover 13. The head a is provided around its edge with an upwardly-projecting flange, 2, by which it is secured to the sides of the packages, as indicated in Fig. 1. The head a is provided at or near its center with an opening, 1), around the edge of which there is formed a flange, 3, which projects either upward or downward and receives a removable flanged cover, 0, by removing which access can be had to the interior of the package.

The manner of applying the improvements thus described is as follows: The packages A having been filled with tobacco in the usual manner, the inner head, a, will be inserted and pressed into the upper end of the package, so as to form a tight joint between the flange 2 and the side of the package, and secured in that position by means of tacks passing through the flange 2. The flange 2 will preferably be made to flare slightly more than the flare of the sides of the packages, as shown in Fig. 3, so that as the head is pressed into the end of the package the flange will yield slightly, and thus secure a tightjoint between the flange and the sides of the package. This will also permit the heads a, (which will be made in stock in large quantities,) to beintrodueed into packages which vary slightly in size and shape. The head having been thus introduced and secured, the cover B will be secured in position and the package will be ready for shipment. \Vhen the tobacco is to be placed on sale, the cover B will be permanently removed, and access can be then had tothe tobacco by removing the supplemental or inner eover,c. After each sale is made the cover 0 can be readily replaced in position, thus making the package practically air-tight, so as to prevent evaporation, and thus preserve the flavor of the tobacco until the contents are exhausted. lVhen the package is emptied, the closing head a can be removed,

and the package is then salable, the same as the similar packages heretofore in use.

The heads a, with their removable covers, can be produced in large quantities at a very trifling expense, and by their employment the objections which have heretofore existed to the use of packages of this general class for putting up this kind of tobacco are entirely obviated.

Aside from their capacity for retaining the original moisture and flavor of the tobacco, the packages provided with this improvement are also desirable, because the head a and its removable cover permit the packages to be laid on their sides upon a shelf, which is the most convenient and desirable position in which to place the packages while the contents are on sale. With the loose wooden covers this was of course impossible, not only because the covers would not be retained in position, but because no means was provided for preventing the tobacco from falling out of the package.

\Vhat I claim is-- The herein-described package or receptacle for tobacco, consisting of the body A, provided with the removable cover B, and with the head 0, having the upwardly-projecting flange 2 fitted into the end of the body, and having the opening I), provided with the removable tight-fllting cover 0, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

P. LORILLARD, JR.

\Yitnesscs:

ETHAN ALLEN, (Jr-ms. H. BARKELEW'. 

